Charleston's "Best City" buzz a business boon in Mt. Pleasant

MT. PLEASANT, SC (WCSC) - Several hotel and motel makeovers are underway in Mt. Pleasant. Town officials say the need is there as the hospitality boom in Charleston trickles into the waterfront town.

Charleston's recognition as the "Best City" in the world by Condé Nast has generated more publicity for Mt. Pleasant.

"The accolades with Charleston spill over to us definitely and help promote our destination as well as our location," says Shannon Hartman, the senior sales manager at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina."

There are several hospitality projects underway. Mt. Pleasant's director of planning and development says the Masters Inn on Wingo Way is one of three moving forward. In its place a Hilton Garden Inn will be built. The Fort Moultrie Motel will become the Wyndham Garden Inn. The rooms are being cleared out, and town officials say demolition will begin very soon.

"Especially the two that are redevelopment opportunities are going to come back, I think, with something that's a little more up-to-date, probably a little larger in size also," explains Christiane Farrell, director of planning and development."

And town officials say the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina next to Patriots Point has submitted plans to add on to the 125 rooms. The hotel recently renovated its restaurant.

"They wanted to finish that first, and then they would bring in a smaller hotel about 90 rooms," says Farrell.

The resort says they expect to see more expansion and growth across Mt. Pleasant.

"Us being on the water makes us a little bit if a unique destination compared to what downtown has to offer, but we've still got the proximity to the historic district," says Hartman.

Town officials say other sites for hotel development include the Mt. Pleasant Town Center, a Holiday Inn Express on Stockade Lane, and two hotels at Bridgeside near Memorial Waterfront Park.